1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus, a system, and a method for processing an image.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cooperative processing in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected with each other performs processing in cooperation with each other is known as one type of image forming processing. For example, a first image processing apparatus and a second image processing apparatus are connected via a single communication path (i.e., a network) and cooperative processing is performed via the communication path. Alternatively, the first and second image processing apparatuses are connected via two communication paths (i.e., a network and an IEEE1394 bus), and the cooperative processing is performed via one of the communication paths.
For example, an image forming system is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2005-108113, in which two communication paths are used to connect two image processing apparatuses. In this system, a plurality of pieces of image data (jobs) is transferred between the apparatuses in parallel via the communication paths, and which communication path is to be used is decided based on the type of image data. This system reduces the time required for transferring image data and the load on the apparatus that sends the image data. Specifically, in this system, a first image processing apparatus and a second image processing apparatus are connected via two communication paths, i.e., a network and a video interface, and the network and the video interface are selectively used when performing cooperative processing.
There has been a need to increase the productivity in performing cooperative processing, i.e., to increase the communication speed. There has been also a need to connect a plurality of image processing apparatuses with an interface configured to achieve longer communication distance.
The method in which two image processing apparatuses are connected via a single path (i.e., a network) is advantageous in that an interface that achieves longer communication distance can be used to connect the two image processing apparatuses. However, because the two image processing apparatuses share the network, it is difficult to ensure a predetermined level of productivity, and it is also difficult to increase the communication speed because the overhead increases due to a process performed based on the TCP/IP.
If two image processing apparatuses are connected via two communication paths (for example, a network and an IEEE1394 bus) and cooperative processing is performed via one of the communication paths, a dedicated bus (for example, an IEEE1394 bus) is used, so that the communication speed can increase. However, a communication distance via the dedicated bus is limited compared to that via the network.
Although the image forming system disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2005-108113 ensures a predetermined level of productivity (communication speed), the communication distance is limited. In addition, the design of the image forming system becomes complicated because the interfaces must be made selectable.